Attaching device for railroad car brakes



4, 1941- J. F. CASLIN 2,230,863

ATTACHING DEVICE FOR RAILROAD CAR BRAKES Filed Feb. 9, 1940 FIG 3INVENTOR. JAMES F. CASLIN MM WL QH ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE 2,230,863 ATTACHINGDEVICE FOR RAILROAD can BRAK 7 Claims.

This invention relates to attaching devices for railroad car brakes, andmore particularly to keys for attaching brake shoes to brake heads.Prior to this invention, the usual attaching key has consisted of atapered strip of soft steel bowed to conform to the curvature of thebrake shoe. The usual taper is intended to aid in firmly securing theshoe to the brake head. However, in actual practice, the shoe and headare made of castings requiring substantial clearance in the openingswhich receive the attaching key, and very little advantage is gained bythe taper in the key. My investigations have shown that most of thebrake shoes in service are very loosely secured by the standard key, andwhen a car is in motion, such looseness results in objectionable noisedue to constant hammer blows and friction. Furthermore, the friction andhammer blows tend to destroy the brake head and shoe, as well as theattaching key. These usual conditions involve expensive replacements ofthe defective parts, as well as the possibility of derailment which mayoccur when a brake shoe is accidentally released from a brake head on amoving train.

One of my objects is to reduce or eliminate these destructiveconditions. A further object is to accomplish this result without undulyincreasing the manufacturing cost of the attaching key. An essentialobject is to produce an improved attaching key that will comply with thestandard conditions adopted by the railroad. organizations, and at thesame time reduce or eliminate the above-mentioned objections to the rec-"ommended practice.

The recommended standard key is ordinarily made of soft steel, and itsweight is approximately 1%; pounds. The weight is an important factor indetermining the cost. I will hereafter show how this weight can beconsiderably reduced in a key made of more expensive material having itselements arranged to overcome defects in the standard practice. In oneform of the invention, the new key may weigh about six ounces, but ofcourse the invention is not limited to such relative weights of thematerial.

Instead of adhering to the recommended practice, I have produced arelatively light key having a tortuous formation, made of relativelynarrow bowed spring material, and having its elements so arranged thatthe tension and compression of the spring material tends to firmly unitethe brake shoe with the head, while the tortuous formation overcomes theobjection to a relatively light and narrow key. The tortuous formationis an important factor in complying with the standard requirements as itprovides the narrow key with all of the advantages of the relativelyWide standard key while very substantially decreasing the quantity ofmaterial required.

The standard soft steel key rapidly becomes worn while in servicethereby producing objectionable looseness between the brake head andshoe which causes noise and undesirable wear of the brake head and shoe.These conditions not only require frequent replacement of the keys butalso the renewal of the more expensive brake heads and shoes.

Another object of this invention, therefore, is to produce aninexpensive key which has an extremely long period of service and duringsuch period firmly secures the brake shoe to the head to substantiallydecrease the wear on these elements.

A further object of this invention is to produce an attaching key for arailroad car brake which may be easily applied to and removed from thebrake.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprisesthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore specifically described and shown in the accompanying drawing, whichillustrate one form of the invention. However, it is to be understoodthat the invention comprehends changes. variations and modificationswithin the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Fig. 1 is a side view partly in section of a brake head and shoeequipped with a key embodying the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the key before it is inserted between the brakehead and shoe.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the brake head showing the attaching keypositioned within the attaching lugs on the brake head and shoe, saidlugs being in section.

To illustrate the invention I have shown a standard brake head 4 andbrake shoe 5. The brake head 4 is provided with a pair of spaced toplugs 6 connected by a bridge 1, a pair of spaced intermediate attachinglugs 8 and 9, and a pair of spaced bottom lugs I0 connected by a bridgeH. The brake shoe 5 is provided with an attaching lug I2 interposedbetween the pair of intermediate lugs 8 and 9.

The upper and lower lugs 6 and [0 are spaced as shown in Fig. 3 toreceive the usual lugs 5' at the back of the brake shoe. The overlappingattaching lugs 8, 9 and I2 are apertured as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, toprovide a passageway between the brake head and shoe for the standardrelatively wide key.

My attaching key l3 for securing the shoe 5 to the brake head 4 may bemade from a simple relatively narrow bar of heat-treated spring steel.The key I3 when inserted between the brake head and shoe may have endportions confined between the pairs of top and bottom lugs andyieldingly engaging the bridges I and II conmeeting said lugs, as shownin Figs. 1 and 3. The intermediate portion of the key is bowed, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2, so that it will yieldingly engage an inner face M ofthe attaching lug l2 on the brake shoe to firmly seat the shoe on theouter faces of the attaching lugs 8 and 9 on the brake head.

In securing the shoe to the brake head, my key l3 does not depend upon awedge action which rapidly becomes ineffective as the key is worn. Whilein service, my key continuously provides a spring pressure on the innerface M of the attaching lug to firmly seat the shoe on the brake head.The shoe will, therefore, at all times be firmly and securely attachedto the brake head, thereby eliminating objectionable looseness whichresults in friction and hammer blows tending to rapidly destroy thebrake head, shoe and key.

To increase the tension of the bowed intermediate portion of the key onthe inner face of the attaching lug l2, the key may have a lowersubstantially straight portion I5 bent at an angle to the bowed portionof the key, as shown in Fig. 2. When the key is inserted between thebrake head and shoe, the straight portion 15 will engage the bridge Hand bend to the shape shown in Fig. I to increase or provide the desireddegree of pressure at the bowed portion of the key engaging the innerface of the lug l2 on the shoe 5.

I have found that by forming my key from a 'bar of five sixteenths of aninch square heattreated spring steel it may have a weight of about 6ounces and tensil strength of about 190,000 pounds per square inch,whereas the usual standard relatively wide key weighing about 24 ounceshas a tensil strength of not over 40,000 pounds per square inch.

My relatively narrow key is, therefore, considerably stronger than thestandard wide key and also has the important advantage of firmlysecuring the shoe to the brake head and maintaining this condition whilein service.

The standard brake head 4 and shoe 5 have the lugs 6, 8, I 2, 9 and I 0thereon constructed and arranged so as to provide a passageway for thestandard relatively wide key. This passageway as shown in Fig. 3, isconsiderably wider than my relatively narrow key. To prevent undesirabledisplacement and turning of the key in the passageway formed by the lugson the brake head and shoe, the key It has a tortuous formation as shownin Fig. 3.

It will be observed that the bowed intermediate portion of the key isarranged diagonally of the longitudinal center line of the brake head toprovide the key with abutment faces l6 and I1 near opposite sides of thepassageway formed by the attaching lugs 8, l2 and 9. The upper portionof the key also has a bent portion to provide an abutment face Itadjacent to one of the top lugs 6 on the brake head.

The abutment faces on the key near opposite sides of the key receivingpassageway will insure proper positioning of the narrow key, preventturning of the key while it is being inserted, and also limit lateraldisplacement of the key while it is in service.

To provide a means for removing the key I 3 from between the brake headand shoe, the key is provided with an integral hook shaped head portionl9 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This hook shaped portion provides a spacefor a removing tool, even when the upper end of the key is driven ontothe top of the brake head.

It will be observed that my key I3 has all of the advantages of therelatively wide standard key without its disadvantages. The key [3 maybe easily formed from a simple bar of spring material at a very low costand does not require the usual forging operations employed inmanufacturing the standard tapered key. A very small quantity ofmaterial is required to produce'the very strong key l3 which has anextremely long period of service. Moreover, the key I3 while in servicehas the important advantage of firmly uniting the shoe to the brakehead, to very substantially reduce the wear on these elements.

I claim:

1. In an attaching device for a railroad car brake including a brakehead and a brake shoe having apertured attaching lugs arranged inoverlapping relationship, an attaching key provided with an obliqueintermediate attaching portion located within all of said attachinglugs, said oblique intermediate portion of the attaching key beingarranged diagonally of the longitudinal center line of the brake head.

2. In an attaching device for a railroad car brake including a brakehead and a brake shoe, I

said brake head having pairs of top and bottom lugs and a pair ofintermediate attaching lugs, the lugs of each pair being separated fromeach other, said brake shoe having an attaching lug interposed betweenthe lugs of said intermediate pair, an attaching key provided with anoblique intermediate attaching portion located within all of saidattaching lugs, said attaching key also having upper and lower endportions located between the pairs of said top and bottom lugs, saidoblique intermediate portion of the attaching key being arrangeddiagonally of the longitudinal center line of the brake head.

3. In an attaching device for a railroad car brake including a brakehead and a brake shoe, said brake head having a pair of intermediateattaching lugs, said brake shoe having an attaching lug interposedbetween the lugs of said intermediate pair, all of said lugs beingapertured to provide a key-receiving passageway, a relatively narrow keyprovided with an oblique intermediate portion located within saidpassageway, said obliqu intermediate portion of the attaching key beingarranged diagonally of the longitudinal center line of the brake head toprovide the key with abutment faces near opposite sides of saidkey-receiving passageway.

4. An attaching device for ,a brake head and a shoe having aperturedattaching lugs arranged in overlapping relationship, which comprises akey made of spring steel, said key having a bowed oblique intermediateportion adapted to yieldingly engage an inner face of the attaching lugon the brake shoe to firmly seat the brake shoe on the outer faces ofthe attaching lugs of the brake head, and said bowed obliqueintermediate portion of the key within said attaching lugs beingarranged diagonally of the longitudinal center line of the brake head.

5. An attaching device for a brake head and a shoe having aper-turedattaching lugs arranged in overlapping relationship, which comprises akey made of spring steel, said key having a plurality of portionsadapted to engage the brake head, and a bowed oblique intermediateportion adapted to yieldingly engage an inner face of the attaching lugon the brake shoe to firmly seat the brake shoe on the outer faces ofthe attaching lugs otf the brake head, said oblique intermedtate portionof the key being arranged diagonally of the longitudinal center line ofthe brake head.

6. In an attaching device for a railroad car brake including a brakehead and a brake shoe, said .bnake head being provided with a pair ofspaced top lugs connected by a bridge, a pair of intermediate attachinglugs, and a pair of spaced bottom lugs connected by a bridge, said brakeshoe having an attaching lug interposed between the pair of intermediatelugs on the brake head, all of said attaching lugs being apertured toprovide a key-receiving passageway, a relatively narrow attaching keymade of heat-treated spring steel having end portions confined betweensaid pairs of top and bottom lugs and yieldingly engaging the bridgesconnecting said top and bottom lugs, said key having a bowedintermediate portion adapted to yieldingly engage an inner face of theattaching lug on the brake shoe to firmly seat the brake shoe on theouter faces of the attaching lugs of the bnake head, said bowedintermediate portion being arranged diagonally of the longitudinalcenter line of the brake head to provide the key with abutment facesnear opposite sides of said key-receiving passageway.

7. In an attaching device for a railroad car brake including a brakehead and a .brake shoe, said brake head being provided with a pair ofspaced top lugs connected by a bridge, a pair of intermediate attachinglugs, and a pair of spaced bottom lugs connected by a bridge, said brakeshoe having an attaching lug interposed between the pair of intermediatelugs on the brake head, all of said attaching lugs being apertured toprovide a key-receiving passageway, a relatively narrow attaching keymade of heat-treated spring steel having end portions confined betweensaid pairs of top and bottom lugs and yieldingly engaging the bridgesconnecting said top and bottom lugs, said key having a bowedintermediate pontion adapted to yieldingly engage an inner face of theattaching lug on the bnake shoe to firmly seat the brake shoe on theouter faces of the attaching lugs of the brake head, said bowedintermediate portion being arranged diagonally of the longitudinalcenter line of the brake head to provide the key with abutment facesnear op posite sides of said key-receiving passageway, and the upperportion of said key having a bent portion to provide an abutment faceadjacent to one of the top lugs on said brake head.

JAMES F. CASLIN.

